Bar has much to offer: CJI shares anecdote as he dismisses lawyer’s plea for revaluation

In a rare moment of candour, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant shared an anecdote when as a young lawyer, he was rebuked by a high court judge for aspiring to become a judicial officer, and was told, “The bar is waiting for you.” 

The story came in a way of encouragement to a judicial services aspirant, who was seeking revaluation of an examination paper.

Though the plea of Prerna Gupta was dismissed by a bench comprising the CJI and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, she left the court smiling.

As Gupta pressed her case, the CJI intervened and said, “Let me share my personal story and I hope you will go happily as we cannot allow your petition.”

The CJI recounted his time as a final-year law student when he, too, wanted to become a judicial officer, had cleared the written test, and was to appear for the interview. “When I was in the final year, I applied for judicial services. At that time, final-year students could apply. By the time the results came, the procedure had changed. Earlier, the public service commission used to conduct the selection. Then a Supreme Court judgment came, pursuant to which judges of the high court were to act as subject experts, and their opinion would be binding on the commission,” he said.

The CJI recalled that around the same period, he had shifted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court and started practising there.

The senior-most judge on the interview panel happened to be the judge before whom he had recently argued two significant matters.

“The senior-most judge who had been nominated for the interview panel already knew me because I had argued two matters before him. One of the matters was Sunita Rani vs Baldev Raj, where he had allowed my appeal in a matrimonial case and set aside the decree of divorce granted by the district judge on the ground of schizophrenia,” Justice Surya Kant shared.

“One day, he called me into his chamber and asked, ‘Do you want to become a judicial officer?’ I said yes.

He immediately said, ‘Get out from (my) the chamber.’”

The courtroom fell silent as he related the rebuke.

“I came out trembling. All my dreams were shattered. I thought he had snubbed me and that my career was over,” the CJI said.

However, the story took another turn the next day when the judge summoned him again, this time offering a piece of advice that would change the trajectory of his life.

“He said, ‘If you want to become (a judge), you are welcome. But my advice is, don’t become a judicial officer. The Bar is waiting for you,’” Justice Surya Kant recalled.

The CJI said he decided to skip his interview and didn’t even tell his parents at first, fearing their disappointment, and instead chose to dedicate himself to his practice as an advocate.

“Now tell me did I make a bad right or bad decision,” the CJI asked the litigant lawyer, as he advised her to look forward to the future rather than dwelling on the revaluation of a single paper. 

“Apply for superior judicial services next time. The Bar has much to offer,” he said.

Gupta, who had entered the court seeking a legal remedy, left with a smile despite the dismissal of her plea.